Hecks ---- The 2Nd Batch!
I'm beginning to believe that the two adult Heck Finches I have must be related to the Gremlins 
They seem to have this delight in tossing their newly hatched chicks out from their nest. 
This time they had 6 eggs in their nest - 4 chicks had hatched out and when I checked the birds this morning I discovered 3 of the chicks had been tossed from the nest and were dead. (I do have a photograph of this but it's just for my own records and I'm not posting it here - not a nice thing to find) 
After finding the dead chicks I knew this was going to be the same thing happening all over again.
So I made up my mind to remove the nest box and check the contents, There were two eggs still to hatch (they are fertile) and one little chick almost 'gone' its crop empty.
I know the saying is if the parent birds are letting their chicks die then there must be something wrong with the chicks and the best policy would be that you shouldn't intervene and let nature take its course Personally I don't 100% agree with that - I believe every creature no matter what type/size has a right to be given a chance to live- --I believe there is something wrong with these parents!! 
So once again out came the incubator and the hospital cage.
The two eggs went into the incubator and I put the chick into the incubator as well until I had everything else sorted out.
This time I'm using a different hand rearing food (haven't used this one before) It's 'Orlux Handmix
by Versele-Laga. To begin with 1part formula to 7 parts lukewarm water each feed to be approx. 10% of the body weight of the bird.
I must own up and say that this time it is taking longer to feed this chick and it doesn't take much at a time so I was having to feed it every 10 minutes and each time after the 10 minutes was up its crop was empty. It's now 7pm and I've managed to extend the time to every 15 minutes but I've still no idea what will happen during the night - I was hoping to get at least two hours sleep between feeding times but it looks like that's not going to happen 
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May 17th 2015
Sadly the little chick died at 1am tis morning. I think I was just a bit too late in rescuing it yesterday.
After cleaning the hospital cage just after 1am, I checked the incubator and found one of the eggs had just hatched - the chick looks to be very small, smaller than a finch chick when it hatches, so as it should stay in the incubator for a while I decided to catch up on some sleep. 
Newly hatched chick
This was not to be!! 
now Rabelou, my wee Chihuahua, decided he wanted some attention so at 1.30am there was me taking my dog for a 'very short' walk in the garden, (he has to be on a leash or he would disappear 
)
At 6.30am I checked on the new chick and it looked OK, so I transferred it to the hospital cage and I gave it its first feed.
I have been feeding it ever hour, unlike the other chick that died, this one is begging for food.
I'm thinking the other egg in the incubator as though the chick may be dead in shell. That will be a pity if it doesn't hatch I always think it's easier to rear two chicks rather than one on its own.
Sadly all those little chicks died.
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This is now the 9th of June 2015 and the Hecks have been at it again.
this is what has been happening:
4th June: They have eggs in their nest and they have been incubating them. (don't know how many eggs)
On the 4th of June I found the first egg on the floor of the cage broken and it had been fertile.
It seems they are going to be following their previous pattern: either tossing the eggs out or when the eggs hatch they will be more than likely to toss the chicks out.
5th June: Found another of the Heck's eggs on the floor of the cage this morning , but I was lucky it still felt warm and hadn't broken so I decided to remove all the eggs from the nest.
I have a pair of Bengalese in a breeding cage and today is the first time I have noticed one of them sitting in the nest pan but so far no eggs.
So I decided to put two of the heck's eggs into the Benglalese nest pan and keep my fingers crossed they would incubate the eggs.
I've checked their nest twice and one of the Bengalese was sitting in the nest , 2nd time both Bengalese were in the nest so that's looking promising but they are young birds so time will tell.
Thinking about the saying that "You don't put your eggs all in one basket" 
I've put the other 4 eggs into the incubator and if these 4 eggs hatch out and the Bengalese don't reject the other two eggs I'll transfer the Heck chicks to the Bengalese nest as well.and hope they feed the chicks.
Just wished I knew why Hecks don't like raising their young. So annoying when the eggs are fertile
6th June 2015
Still just the two Heck' eggs in the Bengalese nest, the Bengalese haven't laid any eggs of their own yet that's what making me wonder if they will incubate those two eggs.
I think it will be ok if they do hatch those two eggs because if they feed those chicks it should be ok to add the other chicks if they hatch out in the incubator.
7th June 2015
Discovered that a chick was dead in shell in one of the eggs so its been removed from the incubator.
Above is a candled computer version of the three remaining eggs in the incubator
9th June 2015
The above is another computer candled version of one of the eggs in the incubator taken yesterday 8th June
.and this was taken this morning at 7a.m.
Went out to check on the Bengalese to find out if any of the heck's eggs I put in their nest had hatched yet but this is when I got a nice surprise
The hecks' eggs hadn't hatched yet but surprise, surprise the Bengalese have laid two eggs of their own which I think makes it more likely they will feed the fostered chicks, at least I'm hoping so.
I transferred only one of the Heck chicks from the incubator to the Bengalese nest to find out what would happen, they haven't tossed it out from the nest and the female was back sitting on the nest.
So later I transferred the 2nd chick into their nest and I have just checked and so far, it looks as it will be OK'
Question now is "Will the Bengalese feed those two chicks?"
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10th June 2015
Things are looking good for the two that hatched and are now in with the Bengalese but the remaining Heck's egg in the incubator -- the chick was dead in shell, it hadn't formed properly.
So that leaves only the other two Heck's eggs that are in the Bengalese's nest but now, my problem with that is I cant tell the difference between which eggs are the Heck's and which belong to the Bengalese-- the eggs all look the same 
So if any of those eggs in the Bengalese nest do hatch I guess I'll have to wait until the chicks fledge to discover who they belong to
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11th June 2015
Saw the chicks being fed this morning so I guess they are going to be O.K. but I'm still going to check regularly to make sure everything is OK.
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13th June 2015
Very good news the heck chicks are growing and they are being fed and tonight I noticed there is a new arrival in the nest.
Three chicks are in the nest now the new arrival could have only hatched out today. I doubt if this will be one of the two heck's eggs that were transferred into the Bengalese nest in the beginning.
I'm thinking it must be one of their own eggs that has hatched (a Bengalese chick 
) only time will tell. I'm really pleased how things are developing and I'm very glad I fostered the chicks to that nest.
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